In his Christmas speech the Pope said that homosexuals destroy “the essence of humankind”. Families, according to him are “threatened to the core” by opening marriage to LGBTQ couples. Previously he called gay marriages a threat to world peace.

Pope Benedict XVI is getting into the festive spirit by taking his opposition to gay relationships to new heights.

The Catholic leader made his latest homophobic attack on Friday in his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican – one of his most important speeches of the year and one in which he dedicated to opposing equal marriage. …

While criticizing the Vatican and popes, I should also give them credit where credit is due. The present pope’s predecessor condemned the Iraq war; so did Pope Ratzinger, though less strongly so than John Paul II.

However, Pope Ratzinger granted Tony Blair a private audience. Many pious and peace-loving Roman Catholics lay people can only dream about ever getting a private audience with the pope. While Archbishop Tutu does not want to be on the same stage with war criminal Blair.

So, Pope Ratzinger does not treat Blair like he treats gay people. He did not treat anti-Semitic Holocaust denier Richard Williamson like he treats gay people. Quite the contrary. Williamson had been expelled from the Roman Catholic church. By re-admitting Williamson, the pope not only recognized Williamson as a Roman Catholic; but also as a Roman Catholic bishop in good standing.

What is the source of Pope Ratzinger’s homophobia? Not Jesus Christ’s tradition. Rather the near-universal homophobia of the mid-twentieth century, when Ratzinger was young. Homophobia which killed British anti-nazi code breaker and computer inventor Alan Turing. Homophobia climaxing in nazi Germany which murdered many people in concentration camps for being gay. As a member of the Hitler Youth, young Ratzinger may very well have been indoctrinated in homophobia.